JPH05128321A - Ic card management device for production line - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately manage the life of an ID card. CONSTITUTION:Information to forecast the life of an 10 card 10 is stored in a data base 21. The frequency in access of the ID card 10 is calculated by a production management computer 19. This production management computer 19 forecasts the life based on information, which is stored in the data base 21 and is used to forecast the life, and the calculated frequency in access to discriminate whether replacement is necessary or not.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ID card management device system for managing the life of an ID card used in a production line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in an automobile manufacturing factory, an ID system using a so-called ID card is becoming popular as a method for managing the actual product in the production line in order to improve the efficiency of the production line. This ID card is used by being attached to a product unit as an information medium for physical management, and in the memory therein, vehicle type data and the like are generally written based on production information according to the product unit.
The information in the ID card is accessed and read by the antenna.

In such an ID system, the ID
Since the card itself is a consumable item and has a lifespan depending on the number of times it can be accessed, managing the lifespan of the ID card itself is an important issue in improving the efficiency of the line. Therefore, conventionally, for example, a system as shown in FIG. 7 is used to manage the ID card.

That is, when the product unit 11 to which the ID card 10 is attached and which is managed in-kind arrives at a predetermined place, a signal from a sensor 12 for detecting this arrives as a trigger signal to the PI / ID of the ID controller 13 (PLC). Inputted to the O input module 14, the ID controller 13 outputs a command for detecting the life of the ID card 10 from the communication module 15 to the ID communicator 17 via the serial communication line 16. This command is, for example, I for an ID card with a built-in battery.
This is a voltage check in the D card, and is the date of manufacture of the ID card in the case of an ID card without a battery. The ID communicator 17, which receives the command, communicates with the ID card 10 by radio waves through the antenna 18,
The data received from the card 10 (manufacturing date or voltage check in the ID card) is sent to the ID via the serial communication line 16.
Output to the controller 13. Then, the ID controller 13 determines the quality of the ID card 10 based on the input data. At that time, an ID card after a certain period of time from the date of manufacture or an ID card in which the voltage in the ID card has dropped was uniformly determined to be NG (defective).
The ID card that has been made NG will be discarded and replaced with a new ID card.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional ID card management system, when the ID card 10 is attached, only the manufacturing date of the ID card or the voltage in the card is checked. Since the quality was judged, it was difficult to manage the ID card sufficiently effectively. That is, the life of the ID card 10 is determined by the number of times of access to the ID card 10. First, the determination based on the date of manufacture of the ID card 10 is:
The comparison is made only for the period after the ID card 10 is manufactured, and the number of times of access is not specifically reflected for each ID card 10 in any way statistically. Accurate management of card life is difficult. As a result, for example, the ID card 10 may reach the end of its life during use, that is, in the middle of the line, while conversely, the ID card 10 may reach the end of its life long before the end of its life.
The card 10 may be discarded. In the former case, the frequency of line stop due to the ID system may increase, which may lead to a decrease in the line operation rate. In the latter case, the ID card 10 needs to be replaced frequently and the facility cost is increased. Like Further, even if the determination is made based on the ID card internal voltage check of the ID card 10, it does not mean that the ID card 10 cannot be used immediately due to the occurrence of the voltage drop, and therefore the ID card 10 is discarded before the actual life is reached. I have to say that it cannot be used effectively.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ID card management device system capable of accurately managing the life of each ID card. To do.

[0007]

The present invention for achieving the above object is an ID which is attached to a product as an information medium for physical management in a production line and provides production information on the product as needed. A card, a database that stores the life expectancy information of the ID card, a calculation unit that calculates the number of times production information is provided from the ID card, and a calculated value of the calculation unit and the life expectancy information of the database. And a determining unit for determining the life of the ID card.

[0008]

In the present invention having such a configuration, the life of the ID card is determined based on the calculated value of the calculation means and the life prediction information of the database. The ID card provides the production information stored therein in response to a request from an external access device. Before the product is put on the production line, the ID card will reach the end of its life and the production information cannot be provided until the product leaves the production line. The life prediction is performed by the determination means so that such a thing does not occur during passage of the line. Therefore, if there is a risk of reaching the end of the product life while passing through the production line,
ID cards can be exchanged before they are put into the production line.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an ID card management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case where it is applied to an automobile manufacturing line. The same parts as those in FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals.

This system includes an ID card 10 in which vehicle type data and the like are written as an information medium for physical management, and a sensor 12 for detecting that a product unit 11 to which the ID card 10 is attached has arrived at a predetermined place. A PLC (Programmable) including a PI / O input module 14 for inputting a signal from the sensor 12 and a communication module 15 for communicating with an ID communicator described later.
An ID controller 13 configured to control access to the ID card 10, and an ID communicator 17 that receives a command from the ID controller 13 and accesses the ID card 10 via an antenna described later, An antenna 18 connected to this ID communicator 17 and transmitting / receiving to / from the ID card 10 by radio waves
Have and. Each ID card 10 has an ID card number for identifying it. ID card 1
In the memory 0, the ID card number is written in addition to the production information such as vehicle type data. Also, ID
The controller 13 and the ID communicator 17 are connected by a serial communication line 16 for transmitting data in series, which is composed of, for example, RS-232C or RS-422. Further, in this system, a production management computer 19 having a function of centrally managing the ID card is provided above each ID controller 13.
This production control computer 19 and each ID controller 1
3 are connected to each other via a system bus 20 to form a network. Also, the production management computer 1
A database 21 for storing parameters necessary for managing the life of the ID card is connected to 9. In this database 21, as parameters of the ID card 10,
For example, when the ID card 10 is of a type that does not have a battery, the ID card number of the ID card 10, the manufacturing date, the manufacturing number (engraved), the starting date of use, the number of lifetime accesses (A) ( The initial value = catalog value), the number of line insertions (initial value = 0), and the number of accesses (B) (initial value = 0) are registered. On the other hand, in the case of a battery built-in type, the ID card of the ID card 10 concerned is registered. Number, manufacturing date, manufacturing number (engraved), start date of use, number of times of life after voltage drop (C) (initial value = catalog value), number of line insertions (initial value = 0), number of accesses ( The initial value = 0), the number of line injections after the voltage drop (initial value = 0), and the access count (D) after the voltage drop (initial value = 0) are registered (see FIG. 2 above). The production control computer 19
The number of accesses of each ID card 10 is calculated according to the operation flow described later, and it is determined whether or not the life of the ID card 10 is reached by comparing it with the number of lifetime accesses. It is supposed to be rewritten. This production control computer 19
Functions as a calculation unit and a determination unit.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing of the ID card management system configured as described above.
This is a case where the D card 10 is of a type having no battery.

Before the flow chart starts,
That is, as a preparation for inserting the ID card 10 into the line for the first time, as described above, the ID card number of the ID card 10 and predetermined vehicle model data are written in the memory of the ID card 10, and the ID card is stored in the database 21. Register 10 parameters (see FIG. 2 (a)). Then, when these preparations are completed and the stage for actually using the ID card 10 is reached, the ID card 10 is attached to the product unit 11 where site management is performed, and is conveyed on the line with the product unit 11. ..

First, when the product 11 to which the ID card 10 is attached reaches a predetermined place, for example, the entrance of each line loading station, the sensor 12 detects this and detects the ID.
The controller 13 has its PI / O input module 14
The ID card arrival signal from the sensor 12 is input as a trigger signal (S1). Then, the ID controller 13 receives the serial communication line 16 from the communication module 15 thereof.
ID card 1 to the ID communicator 17 via
The command to read the ID card number of 0 is output. ID communicator 17 that received this command
Reads the ID card number of the ID card 10 through the antenna 18, and transmits the read ID card number to the production control computer 19 through the serial communication line 16, the ID controller 13 and the system bus 20 (S2). .. The production management computer 19 specifies the ID card 10 to be managed based on the read ID card number, then counts the number of times the ID card 10 is inserted into the line, and the line insertion number in the database 21 is set to 1 only. Increment (S3). Next, the production management computer 19 achieves the line-off by the line-up this time, based on the number of line-ups counted in S3 and the number of antennas installed up to the off-line (this number is stored in advance). The total number of times of access B of the ID card 10 is calculated (S4). And the production control computer 19
After reading the value A of the lifetime access count of the ID card 10 from the database 21 (S5), the value A of the lifetime access count is compared with the value B of the access count after offline calculated in S4, and the access count B is compared. Is determined to be less than the lifetime access count A (S6). If the access count B is less than the lifetime access count A as a result of this determination, the production management computer 19 determines that the ID card 10 is normal and outputs an OK signal to the ID controller 14 (S7) and returns to S1. .. In contrast,
If the access count B is equal to or longer than the lifetime access count A as a result of the determination in S6, the production management computer 19 determines that the ID card 10 is abnormal and sets the NG signal to the ID.
Output to the controller 14 (S7) and return to S1. NG
Upon receiving the signal, the ID controller 14 informs the operator of that fact through, for example, an alarm buzzer or an alarm lamp, and prompts the operator to replace the ID card.

For such a main flow, when the ID card 10 reaches the end of its life in the middle of the line while the ID card 10 is in use, that is, the OK signal is output in S7, as shown in FIG. Interrupt processing is performed as shown in.

First, the production number of the ID card 10 which has reached the end of its life is input to the production control computer 19 (S).
9). Next, the production management computer 19 searches for an ID card having the same manufacturing number, and sets the number of times A of life access in the database 21 to the ID that has reached the life.
The card 10 is rewritten with the access count up to the point when it actually reaches the end of its life (S10). As a result, the reliability of the lifetime access count A in the database 21 and thus the accuracy of the lifetime management of each ID card 10 are secured.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing another example of the processing of the present ID card management system.
When 0 is a battery built-in type, it is for managing an ID card of a manufacturer having a voltage check command in the ID card.

Also in this case, before the use of the ID card 10 is started as preprocessing, the ID card number of the ID card 10 and the predetermined vehicle type data are written in the memory of the ID card 10, and the ID is stored in the database 21. Register the parameters of the card 10 (see FIG. 2 (b)). After these preparations are completed, the ID card 10 is attached to the product unit 11 at the stage where the ID card 10 is actually used.

First, when the product 11 to which the ID card 10 is attached reaches a predetermined place, the ID controller 1
3 is a sensor 12 in the PI / O input module 14.
The ID card arrival signal from is input as a trigger signal (S11). Then, the ID controller 13 sends the ID from the communication module 15 via the serial communication line 16.
The ID card number reading command and the ID card voltage check command of the ID card 10 are sequentially output to the communicator 17. Upon receiving these commands, the ID communicator 17 sequentially reads the ID card number of the ID card 10 and checks the voltage inside the ID card through the antenna 18, and outputs the contents to the serial communication line 16 and the ID controller 13. And it transmits to the production management computer 19 via the system bus 20 (S12, S13). The production management computer 19 uses the read ID card number to manage the ID
After the card 10 is specified, the number of insertions of the ID card 10 into the line is counted, and the number of insertions of the line in the database 21 is incremented by 1 (S14). Next, the production management computer 19 achieves the line-by-line operation up to the off-line time based on the number of line-in times counted in S14 and the number of installed antennas up to the off-line (this installed number is also stored in advance). Then, the total access count of the ID card 10 is calculated (S15). Next, the production management computer 19
In the ID card internal voltage check performed in S13, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ID card 10 (S16). If the result of this determination is that the ID card internal voltage is normal, the ID card 10 Determines that it is normal and outputs an OK signal to the ID controller 14 (S17). On the other hand, as a result of the determination in S16, I
If the voltage inside the D card is abnormal (voltage drop), the ID card 10 after the voltage drop is detected.
Database 21
After incrementing the number of line-ups after voltage drop by 1 (S18), based on the number of line-ups after voltage drop and the number of installed antennas up to offline, this line-up can be achieved up to offline The number of times of access D after the voltage drop of the ID card 10 is calculated (S19). Next, the production control computer 19
Reads the value C of the lifetime access count after the voltage drop of the ID card 10 from the database 21 (S20).
After that, the value C of the lifetime access count after this voltage drop and S19
It is determined whether or not the access count D after the voltage drop is smaller than the lifetime access count C after the voltage drop by comparing with the value D of the access count after the voltage drop after the off-line calculated in step S21. As a result of this determination, if the access count D after the voltage drop is less than the life access count C after the voltage drop, the production management computer 19 determines that the ID card 10 is normal and sends an OK signal to the ID controller 14. Output (S17). On the other hand, S21
As a result of the determination, if the access count D after the voltage drop is equal to or longer than the life access count C after the voltage drop, the production management computer 19 determines that the ID card 10 is abnormal, and outputs the NG signal to the ID controller 14 (S22). ID controller 14 which received the NG signal
Informs the operator of that fact in the form of an alarm buzzer or an alarm lamp, for example, and prompts the operator to replace the ID card.

Also in this case, with respect to the above main flow, the ID card 10 is in use, that is, OK in S17.
If the ID card 10 reaches the end of its life in the middle of the line despite the output of the signal, the interrupt processing as shown in FIG. 6 is performed.

First, the production number of the ID card 10 that has reached the end of its life is input to the production control computer 19 (S2).
3). Next, the production management computer 19 searches for ID cards having the same manufacturing number, and determines the number of times C of lifespan after the voltage drop in the database 21 as the access count after the voltage drop of the ID card 10 that has reached the life. The number of times is rewritten (S24). As a result, in this case as well, the reliability of the lifetime access count C after the voltage drop in the database 21 and the accuracy of the lifetime management of the individual ID cards 10 are secured.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the life of the ID card can be predicted based on the calculated value of the calculation means and the life prediction information of the database. The life of the ID card is not reached and the reliability of the ID card is improved. In addition, it is possible to improve the equipment availability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an ID card management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing the contents of parameters registered in the database of FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A shows an ID card without a battery, and FIG. 2B shows an ID card with a built-in battery.

FIG. 3 is a main flowchart showing an example of processing of the system of FIG. 1 in the case of an ID card having no battery.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of interrupt processing for the main flow of FIG.

5 is a main flowchart showing an example of processing of the system of FIG. 1, in the case of an ID card with a built-in battery.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of interrupt processing for the main flow of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a system diagram showing an example of a conventional ID card management device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... ID card 12 ... Sensor 13 ... ID controller 17 ... ID communicator 18 ... Antenna 19 ... Production management computer (calculation means, determination means) 20 ... System bus 21 ... Database

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ID card which is attached to a product as an information medium for physical management in a production line and which provides production information on the product as needed, and a database which stores life prediction information of the ID card. And a calculating means for calculating the number of times of providing the production information from the ID card, and a judging means for judging the life of the ID card based on the calculated value of the calculating means and the life prediction information of the database. On the production line characterized by
Card management device